3 Easy Graduation Party Desserts

I'm a big baker and at any party I host it's always expected that there will be some delicious homemade dessert. So, when I decided to go all out crafting a dessert bar for my sister's graduation party, the stakes were even higher - not only were a batch of cupcakes expected, but a whole table full of desserts.

To keep things simpler for myself I combined a few store-brought items with a few homemade. The result was a no-hassle dessert menu that tasted great and pleased everyone.

In addition to the obligatory candy selection (I did Smarties, Nerds, Skittles, Laffy Taffy, Starburst, Sweet Tarts) I also whipped up 2 batches of cupcakes, brownies and cookies.

Though my vanilla buttercream cupcakes were semi-homemade and took a bit more work, the cotton candy cupcakes were a cinch!

Dessert 1: Cotton Candy Cupcakes

To make these all you have to do is whip up a batch of confetti cupcakes then top with a handful of cotton candy. Seriously. That's it - tastes great and looks great! I was a little concerned they might be too sweet, but they were no more sugary than a typical frosted cupcake.

To secure the cotton candy and ensure it won't fly away (especially for an outdoor affair) stick in a graduation cupcake topper. I handmade a few, but any themed ones will do the trick.

Dessert 2: Colorful Chocolate Brownies

Remember cosmic brownies as a kid? They were some of my favorites! Nowadays I like to either make mine from scratch or from the box. This time around I went the easier route and just whipped up a box mix. To give the brownies the necessary pop of color they needed to sit on my dessert table though, I sprinkled on a few handfuls of colorful chips mid-way through the baking process.

Dessert 3: Oatmeal Whoopie Cookies

These were a totally last-minute addition to my table. I had oatmeal cookies on hand, they were round and I need another quick dessert. So, I piped whipped cream (with a teensy amount of sugar added to it) on the bottom of one cookie, than laid another on top. Done. To spruce these up I tacked in a few of the cupcake toppers I had made.